In a message dated 10/7/99 11:53:49 AM EST, gbabcock@best.com writes:
<< Sauropods may have shed body heat via the long
tail and neck, which were relatively high in surface area and low in volume,
as
others have pointed out. >>
Actually, sauropod neck and tail, being basically cylindrical in shape, have
relatively low surface area as well as relatively low volume and were
probably not very good body-heat dumps (though not a complete bust). For heat
shedding (or acquisition), sheetlike structures (such as ceratopian frills,
dimetrodon and spinosaur sails, stegosaur plates, and elephant ears), which
combine high surface area with low volume, are best. Helps a lot if such bony
structures are highly vascularized (as in ceratopian frills and stegosaur
plates) for extensive blood flow. Now, if the sauropod neck supported a
sheetlike structure (as in Amargasaurus?), then you might have decent heat
exchange.